An Important Collection of Russian Books and Manuscripts with Imperial Provenance

On 29 November, on the eve of the 400^th anniversary of the foundation of the Romanov dynasty, Christie’s will offer for sale the largest group of Russian books and manuscripts with noble provenance to come to auction in decades: Michael Fedorovich, Elizabeth, Catherine II, Paul, Alexander I, Alexander II, Alexander III, Nicholas I, Nicholas II, and many Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses are all represented.

The fate of books from the Russian palaces mirrors that of the palaces themselves: war and revolution took their brutal toll. Material with imperial provenance of the quality and importance represented in this collection is seldom offered for sale, and hardly ever in quantity. It would be nearly impossible to form another collection of this scope and calibre today.